I was coming back from an overnight in CYWG on Friday morning with a cup of Tim Horton's coffee in my hand. The canadian security officer proceeded to tell me that I could stand there and drink my coffee or throw it out because liquids were not allowed through.
I said that in the US crewmembers were exempt when on duty and in uniform and that we were told that Canadian security had agreed to reciprocate that exemption. He said that was true but only for liquids that were in our bags.
So I pulled my lunch pail out of my suitcase and put my coffee inside... sent it through the xray - took it back out of my bag and started to drink it! Apparently that is okay but carrying it through is not!? What a stupid rule.
And then the same guy started chastising me for taking off my shoes - he said crewmembers do not take their shoes off, and I said "well I always take my shoes off because every other airport seems to have a different rule so it's just easier to take them off than get turned back when I haven't"
He started telling me that I didn't know what I was talking about because crewmembers were "Never" required to take off their shoes when another canadian security officer interupted him and started telling him he was wrong - that crewmembers do have to take off their shoes. They got into an argument and I just laughed at them and walked off.
It seems to me that the focus should be on identifying threatening persons - not threatening objects.